Blaine Anderson: A Coming Out Story
by nothingbutgoneness
Summary: Thirteen-year-old Blaine Anderson is gay. No one knows it-that is, until he tell his big brother, Cooper. Three-shot. T for language and themes. COMPLETE.
1. Chapter 1

**Blaine Anderson: A Coming Out Story**

Palms slightly sweaty, he knocked on the door. He rubbed his hands on the legs of his jeans. He heard the Katy Perry song playing inside soften, and then the door opened.

"Hey hobbit!" Cooper smiled. "What 'cha need?"

Blaine swallowed thickly. "Can I talk to you?"

Cooper frowned. "You're gonna have to speak up, bro. Humans need to be able to hear you, too."

"Can I talk to you?"

"Sure." Cooper stepped back and motioned for Blaine to come in. The younger brother perched himself on the edge of Cooper's insane, unmade bed. He waited for his brother to turn down the music even more. Cooper sat in his desk chair and waited for Blaine to start.

After a long minute of racing heartbeats and dry mouth, Blaine murmured, "Cooper, do you love me?"

Cooper laughed. "Of course I do, Blainers! What kind of dumbass question is that?"

Blaine shook his head. "No, I mean...if I'm...if I'm not exactly who you think I am...would you still love me?"

Cooper strode over to his bed and sat down next to Blaine. He took his little brother's right hand in his left and squeezed. "You are my brother. I don't care who you are or what you've done, that will never change and I love you. Okay?" Blaine nodded. "Good. Now, tell me what's on your mind."

_This is it._

_Now or never._

_My life changes right here, right now._

"Coop...I'm gay."

Cooper took a minute to process that. It wasn't as though the news came as a _surprise_ or anything—God, how many thirteen-year-old boys owned more bow ties than video games, or sang and dance like they were cursed, or spent an hour and ten minutes every day gelling their hair, or memorized every line in _West Side Story_ and _Funny Girl_? Despite that, it still wasn't every day your little brother told you that he was into dudes.

When he stopped thinking about it, he noticed that Blaine was looking up at him, face pale and hazel eyes filled with terror. He quickly wrapped him up in a tight hug. "I am so proud of you, Blaine. I really, really am."

Blaine was confused. He tried to speak, but the sound was muffled by Cooper's Dalton shirt. Laughing lightly, the two pulled apart, and Blaine tried again. "So...you're not freaked?"

"Of course I'm not, hobbit!" Cooper ruffled Blaine's hair, successfully freeing some curls from their prison of gel. "I'm proud of you for coming out, I'm honored that you came out to me, and I'm excited for you to start discovering this part of yourself."

Blaine flushed again. He was thoroughly shocked by Cooper's reaction. He had mentally steeled himself for revulsion, for yelling, for pain, for tears. Instead he got laughter and hugs and _acceptance_ and _by God_ he was _not_ going to cry—

"Blainers." Blaine looked back up at Cooper, not even realizing that he had look away in the first place. He saw that his brother's face had grown serious. "Look, I said I'm proud of you, and I am, but...I think we should keep this from Dad for a while. I know asking you to continue hiding who you are seems like the last thing I should be doing, but...I think we should arm ourselves with more knowledge and facts before we try to convince Dad that being gay isn't an abomination, you know?" Blaine nodded. "I think the same goes with your school. I went to the same middle school you do, Blainers, I know how close-minded those students can be, so I think for the time being—hey, wait, why are you crying?"

Blaine tried to fight the tears, he really did, but they came out in sobs, each one louder and heavier than the one before. He clapped a hand over his mouth and buried his face in Cooper's chest. Cooper immediately pulled his little brother in tight, completely at a loss as to why he was breaking down. He ran over the last bit of what he had said before Blaine's breakdown until it hit him. Cooper gently gripped Blaine's shoulders and pushed him back so he could look him in the eye. "Blaine, tell me, why did you choose to come out to me today?"

Eyes and nose still streaming, Blaine answered, "They know. Adam...Adam Collins, he...he caught me staring at him in the locker room." Blaine voice trembled. "I couldn't help it, I didn't _mean_ to, but he _saw_ me, and he c-cornered me after school, and he t-told me that he _k-knew_, and that he was going to tell everyone what a—what a _faggot_ I am—"

"Stop right there." Cooper tucked his brother's head under his chin and let him sob, silently seething. He knew the Collins kid. This was the same punk who stole Blaine's glasses back before he switched to contacts, who held him up by scruff of his shirt just to see his legs kick in the air, who grabbed his books and set them atop tall bookcases and cabinets because he knew Blaine couldn't reach them. He'd been tormenting Blaine for years, and Cooper never found a way to stop it—and now he was going to out his baby brother in front of a school full of narrow-minded, Midwestern preteens who espoused everything their narrow-minded, Midwestern parents did. He knew that if anything was going to break Blaine, this was it.

And that terrified Cooper.

"Hey Blainers?" Sniffling, Blaine looked up at his brother. "I know this is hard, and I can't imagine how scared you are right now, but I need you to promise that no matter what, no matter how tough things get, no matter how impossible life seems, no matter what they throw at you, that you will never, _ever_ give up, and that you will never let them drive you to the point where you want to hurt yourself, okay? Okay? Do you promise?" Cooper waited, staring intensely until Blaine gave a shaky nod. "Good. I love you, Blainers. You're the best person in my life, and I would go apeshit if anything happened to you. We can get through this, okay? No matter what, we'll get through this, because we're brothers, and that's what we do?"

Blaine smiled and wrapped his arms around Cooper's neck. "Thanks," he whispered.

"Anytime, bro," Cooper replied with a smile of his own. "Anytime."

* * *

><p>MY BLAINERS! Okay, I wrote this because I needed something to add to my creys. Like "Cough Syrup," the SBL trailer, and "Collide" weren't enough. So, here you have it. Blaine coming out to Cooper. Now, I've never come out to anyone before, so sorry if you're a member of the LGBTQ community and you found this unrealistic or something.<p>

I am ridiculously excited to meet Cooper. Like, you have no. Fucking. Idea.

Matt Bomer is a sex god.

Darren Criss is a sex god.

Must be genetic.

This is labeled as COMPLETE, because it is COMPLETE. If (and this is a big if) I feel the inspiration, I may extend this into a two-shot in which Cooper confronts Adam and/or Mr. Anderson finds out. THIS IS AN IF.

If you read AVKS, did you notice that I named the guy Adam, like I did in that one chapter, like, "Skin" or "Scars" or whatever the hell I named it? Yeah, RIB, that's called CONTINUITY. Look it up.

TUMBLR IS klainebowsandquirrelmort.

Love you guys!


	2. Chapter 2

He bounced nervously in his seat as the car pulled up alongside the curb. He refused to look out the window, choosing instead to stare at the tangle of fingers in his lap. He could hear the curious babble of preteens outside, and he couldn't stop his heart from racing.

A steadying hand appeared on his knee. "Blainers. Calm down. You're going to throw yourself into a panic attack."

Blaine looked over at his brother. He had thrown a fit the night before when Cooper had insisted on skipping a day at Dalton to bring him to school, but now that they were there, he was grateful for his big brother's presence. "Coop," he whispered, "what if it's really bad?"

Cooper unbuckled his seat belt and pulled Blaine in for a hug. "You are the strongest person I know. You're going to go in there, head held high, and you are going to be _fine_." He heard a few sniffles, so he pulled back, placing a hand on either side of his little brother's face. "Hey, you want me to come in with you?"

Blaine wanted to say no. He wanted to walk—no, _stride_—to his locker, to dismiss every man, woman, and child who looked at him differently, and to go about his day as if nothing had changed. He wanted to eat lunch with his friends. He wanted to squeak by on his algebra test. He wanted to go to track practice and try for a spot on the competition team. He wanted to live his life.

But Blaine didn't know if he _had_ a life left. He didn't know if he could go into the locker room without being harassed. He didn't know if he could even focus on his studies. He didn't know if he had any _friends_ left. He didn't know if he could look at the school behind him without throwing up.

Blaine nodded.

"Alright." With a warm smile, Cooper turned off the car and climbed out.

Blaine took a deep breath and followed suit. He grabbed his backpack from the rear seats and slammed the door shut. Then he slowly made his way across the courtyard, his brother never more than a few paces behind him. He felt hundreds of eyes bore into his skin as an icy hush fell over the normally chattering students.

_They all knew._

He walked into the building and through two hallways, ignoring the stares and whispers, until he reached his locker. He was about to five yards away when he saw it.

_Fag._

_Cocksucker._

_Demon._

Bright, red words, shiny like blood, beamed out against the timid tan metal. Cooper immediately grabbed his shoulder, holding him upright. Blaine reached a shaking hand out to spin the dial on the lock. When the door opened, dozens—no, _hundreds_ of condoms spilled out, covering their feet and sliding across the floor. Cooper bent down to pick one up, and he realized that not all of them were condoms—some were packets of lubricant.

Cooper looked around and saw a sea of students. All of them gawked at the mess, at the fury on Cooper's face, at the eighth-grader blinking back tears. Blaine snatched the books he needed out of his locker and shoved them into his bag. Then he whipped the door shut and stalked off, the sea parting to accommodate him.

"BLAINE!" Cooper tore after his little brother, his voice echoing in the silent hallway. He caught up to him in an empty classroom. The younger boy had curled up in a corner, his forehead on his knees and his entire body shaking with sobs. Cooper immediately wrapped his arms around his brother, rocking him back and forth. "I'm so sorry," he whispered into Blaine's curls. "I'm so, so sorry."

"Hey there, faggots."

Cooper looked up, eyes spitting fire. In the doorway stood a boorish kid in a football jersey, smirking down at the brothers. _Adam Collins._ "You," Cooper snarled, leaping to his feet. "You son of a _bitch_!" He grabbed Adam by the collar and shoved him into a chalkboard. White powder flew everywhere. "You think you're all high and mighty, a big shot, because you outed some kid a third of your size? You know what? You're quite a bit smaller than me. What if I beat the everliving shit out of you, huh? Seems fair to me."

A flicker of fear flashed across Adam's face, but it was quickly replaced by a haughty glare. Before Adam could respond, both boys heard a small, "Coop...don't..." They looked down at Blaine. The smallest boy stood slowly and walked over to Adam. "You might have outed me against my will, but you haven't killed me. I'm going to make it through this. I graduate in less than two months. I can survive this." Blaine placed a hand on Cooper's shoulder. "Coop, come on. Let him go. If you hurt him, you'll get in a lot of trouble. I have to get to class and so do you. Let's just...forget this loser."

"Blainers..." Cooper and Blaine exchanged a loaded look, and finally Cooper nodded once. He released his vicelike grip on Adam's jersey. Just as the bully started to brush himself off, Cooper cocked an arm back and socked him once in the gut. Adam doubled over, and Cooper bent down to whisper in his ear. "You hurt my little brother again and you'll be _wishing_ I was punching you in the stomach." Cooper straightened and grabbed Blaine's hand. "Come on, hobbit. Mrs. Quigley always hates tardiness."

The two left the empty classroom and walked to Blaine's first-period science class, decidedly ignoring the curious stares and harsh murmurs of the preteens around them. When they stopped outside the classroom door, Blaine hugged his brother tightly. "Thanks, bro," he muttered.

Cooper held Blaine close. "You call me if anyone tries anything, you hear?" Blaine nodded. "Dalton's only twenty minutes away. I can be here in a flash. I love you, Blainers."

"I love you too, Coop."

"You're going to be okay."

"...I know."

* * *

><p>Okay, so the "if" is now a "definitely." And I can also say that there will "definitely" be a chapter three, and then I'm done. There really isn't much more to say here. The other day in chemistry (when, you know, I wasn't doing chemistry), I complied a list of all the things I need to writeedit/publish, and it's a long motherfucking list. So we're all lucky this even got _finished._

So stayed tuned for chapter three of "Blaine Anderson: A Coming Out Story." I'm hoping to have it up within a week, but no promises. (Seriously, if you know me, you know I don't do promises.) Love you guys!


	3. Chapter 3

When the bus dropped him off a few hundred feet from his house, Blaine was unsurprised to find Cooper's Civic already in the driveway. Sighing, he trekked slowly to the colonial-style house, ignoring the pealing laughter of the middle-schoolers behind him. He had never been gladder that he was the only kid in school who lived on this end of the street.

He didn't even manage to get a hand on the door before it was wrenched open. Cooper pulled him in for a bone-crushing hug, shaking in relief. "Thank God you're okay," he babbled, tugging Blaine into the house. "I realized after I left how stupid it was of me to leave you there. I should be—I don't know—I should've stayed, or taken you home, or—or—something! I'm a terrible brother. Are you okay? Did anyone hurt you?"

"Coop!" Blaine laughed exasperatedly. The brothers sat on the couch together. "It was...fine. I was only shoved into six lockers and thrown into the dumpster out back once. It could've been worse." By the end, Blaine's tone was horribly bitter.

Cooper hugged his little brother again. "I'm so sorry, Blainers. I wish I knew what to tell you. Luckily there's only two more months until graduation. Can you make it? If you can't that's totally fine!" He began babbling again. "I can teach you at home and you can go in for exams. Hell, I know that school; you don't need to be taught to pass the exams. No one—no one _important_—will think you weak if you drop out a little early. You can still go to high school."

"Coop!" Blaine smiled up at his brother. "I'll be fine. It's...about time this got out. I was tired of hiding it from everyone. I'll just take my lumps as they come. I'm tired of hiding."

"Tired of hiding what?"

Neither Anderson boy noticed their father's entrance into the house. They leapt from the couch, the younger immediately seeking refuge behind the older's arm. _I'm tired of hiding_ had not applied to his parents. Blaine had hoped they would forever remain blissfully ignorant of his sexuality.

The confused, angry look on Rick Anderson's face nixed that reality. Blaine swallowed thickly. "Dad...when did you get home?"

"Cut the bullshit, Blaine," Rick snapped. "What are you hiding?"

Cooper stepped fully in front of his brother. "Dad, look, this is Blaine's business—"

"I don't give a fuck!" Blaine flinched, a Pavlovian response to his father's yell. "My son is lying to me, and I will not stand for such insolence in my house!"

Blaine took a deep breath—_I can do this, I can do this_—and stepped out from behind Cooper. "Dad...I'm gay."

The silence was deafening. The clock on the mantle ticked with each passing second. A car alarm went off outside, and was quieted a moment later. The Hopkins girls next door splashed in their pool. It was as if the world has stopped for the Anderson men only.

Until it crashed back to life.

"Come here."

Blood coursing through his ears, Blaine almost didn't hear the murmured command. After a pause, he moved woodenly toward his father, ignoring Cooper's protests. Trembling, he stopped a few feet away, cowering under his father's icy glare.

_**SMACK!**_

Blaine recoiled, nearly collapsing to the floor; he had no idea how Cooper got there in time to break his fall. His cheek burned at the spot where the back of Rick's hand had connected with his face. Cooper and Rick were yelling at each other, but he couldn't make out what they were saying. Suddenly, he was on his feet, being led up the stairs with an arm around his shoulder. From behind him he heard shouts of "OUT OF MY HOUSE!" and "I DIDN'T RAISE A FAGGOT!" He vaguely heard Cooper scream back, but his father's words echoed loudly in his dazed mind.

Somehow he wound up in his pajamas under the covers. Cooper refused to leave the room for fear of his father's return. After a few hours of drifting in and out of sleep, Blaine awoke to more shouting. He turned his fearful eyes on Cooper.

The junior grabbed his hand and squeezed. "It's okay, Blainers. Mom and Dad are...working it out. You're _not_ leaving, and Dad is _never_ going to hit you again. I won't allow it."

"How?" Blaine asked, his voice small. "You're at Dalton. What if he gets angry again?"

Darkness clouded Cooper's face. "Blaine...has Dad hit you before?" Blaine didn't answer. "Son of a _bitch_—" He rose angrily to his feet, but Blaine's hand in his brought him back down.

"Please, Coop...don't," Blaine sighed. "It doesn't matter. I'll be at Dalton in a few months, so..." He trailed off when he saw Cooper's guilty expression. "What?"

"It's just...I heard them arguing. Dad said he refuses to pay for you to go to Dalton. You have to go to Westerville High."

Blaine blinked back tears. Ever since Cooper's freshman year at Dalton, Blaine dreamed of walking those hallowed halls himself one day, uniform crisp, tie straight, curls slick. He'd be a Warbler, just like his big brother, and graduate with honors, earning him a free ride to nearly every university in the country.

And just like that...the dream was over.

"Okay," Blaine breathed. "Okay. I'll just...go to public school." He didn't add _with all the people I go to school with now who currently hate my very existence._

Cooper hugged his brother again. "I'm so sorry, Blainers. I wish I could protect you more. I wish...I wish things were different."

Blaine pulled back, his face mirroring that of a kicked puppy. "You mean...do you wish I wasn't gay?"

Cooper's eyes blew wide as he scrambled to explain himself. "NO, Blaine, God, no! I _love_ who you are. I would never, ever dream of changing you. I mean, I'm glad you're gay; now I don't have to worry about you stealing all the ladies." He winked saucily, earning a smile from Blaine. "But seriously, what I meant was...I wish people—society—_Dad_—everyone was more accepting of homosexuality. I wish you didn't have to feel ashamed—which you _don't_, and _shouldn't_. I wish you could be you and be awesome. I wish people were different."

Blaine smiled softly. "Thanks, bro."

The shouting below stopped, and a minute later the boys heard footsteps on the stairs. Blaine bolted out of bed and hurried to make himself presentable. He stood next to Cooper as their mother opened the door.

Unlike Cooper, who received most of his dapper good looks from their father, Blaine looked almost exactly like their mother: short, slight, long eyelashes, full lips, dark skin, wild curls. Her dark golden eyes were swollen as they took in her two sons. "Blaine?" she whispered. "...Is it true?"

Swallowing, Blaine nodded. "Yeah, Mom. I'm gay."

Alexandra Anderson nodded absently. "Okay...okay..." She ran a hand through her hair, eyes squeezed shut in concentration. As he waited for her to react more, Blaine held his brother's hand tightly. Finally, Alexandra opened her eyes and smiled. "Okay, honey. It's not...things aren't going to be perfect, but I still love you. You're still my little boy."

Blaine didn't realize how strongly he'd been longing for those words until he heard them. He dropped Cooper's hand and threw himself onto his mother, sobbing into her shoulder. "Thank you, Mommy," he whispered. "Thank you so much."

"We'll work on your father," she murmured in his ear. "There's a lot that's going to change, and it'll take time."

"I know."

Cooper stepped forward and wrapped both of his arms around his mother and brother. The three of them stood there for a long time, embracing and crying.

Everything would be okay.

It was only a matter of time.

* * *

><p>THE END of this three-shot. I hope you enjoyed my take on Blaine's coming out. Really, I just wrote this for the Blooper, but still. I hope that if you are a member of the LGBTQ+ community that you haven't been offended by anything I've written here, and that you didn't find anything egregiously unrealistic.<p>

I love you all and can't wait to see you at the end of another fic!

TUMBLR IS klainebowsandquirrelmort.


End file.
